Wire connecter



June 2l, 1938. R N ROWE 2,121,329

WIRE CONNECTER Filed Dec. 9, 1955 @ff/smlllllll y' 17 INVENTOR RAvMoNoN. RowE,

14' C n BY 7W y RNEY 50 Walls.

Patented June 2i, 193s arriere Raymond N. Rowe, lPlainville, llonn.,assigner to The Trumbull llectric Manufacturing Com pany, Blainville,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 9, i935, SerialNo. 53,519 3 claims. (ci. iis- 269) The present invention relates toelectrical connecters.A AIn the production of `connecters for commercialuse it is desirable that the parts be few yand the construction besimple and rugged. One object of my invention is to produce `asimplified and sturdy wire or cable clamp.

My invention also contemplates an improved electrical connecter in whicha cable or wire can be readily secured with a good electrical andmechanical connection.

For economical manufacture and use, connecters should be capable ofbeing easily :issembled without the use of solder. My invention embracesa device of this character. Another object is the design of a clamp witha minimum number of parts.

Still another object of the invention is to make a connecter unit whichcan be handled and transported as a unit before use, without fear oflosing any of the parts. Y Y

These objects, and others, will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying 'drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view any cable.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan'view otthe same.

Fig. 4 is a drop perspective view oi' the parts of the clamp.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a cable end clamped inplace. l

Fig. 6 is a view of the underside of the clamp. The preferred form ofwire or cable connecter according to my invention includes a body I0which may be of box-like form as shown. A terminal foot II is madeintegral with one side of the body I0. This foot is riveted, bolted orotherwise secured to` a switch, panel or other support.` l At I2, in thebody I 0, is a recess for the cable I3 and for the clamp which holds thecable. ,The cable clamp includes the clamp plate I4 and the clamp screwI5.` This screw is exteriorly threaded through one Wall of the body I0;

At I 6, in the body I0. is formed a V groove with inclined sides for thepartial reception of a cable end. In the clamp plate I4, opposite thegroove I6 when the parts are in operative position, is located a Vgroove I1 with inclined This groove I' has a Toughened surface or teethas at I8 in order to grip the cable firmly. l

For holding the parts loosely together a stem I9 is formed on the top ofplate I4, the height 55 A of the stem being such that the plate and stemof the connecter without can be easily slid into the recess i2 when nocable is present and when the lower end of screw l5 is above the top ofthe recess. As soon as the nut is screwed down so that its inner endextends beyond the surface of the recess I2, the stem I9 enters therecess 20 and the plate and stem are held within the body I0.

The recess 20 is made sufllciently larger than the stem i9 so that alimited amount of play between the nut and the plate is possible. NoteFig. 5 in which the plate and stem are shown slightly tilted as they maybe under some conditions.

By shaping the recess 20 into a hexagonal'or other non-circular form,this recess serves the double purpose 'of receiving the stem I9 and act#ing as a socket for a wrench or other tightening tool.

In the operation of this connecter it is seen that the parts can all beassembled as a. unit and carried as such from place to place simply bysliding the clamping plate into the recess I2 and then screwing down thescrew until the stem and screw hold the plate from sliding out of therecess. It should be clear that even though the parts are now assembled,considerable vertical and tilting movement of the plate is possible.

The foot I I can then be connected to the desired Lelement andthe bareend of cable I3 placed under the plate in the groove I6. The screw I5 isthen tightened, compressing the cable strands and, because of theinclined walls of thegrooves I6 and I1, spreading the strands to alimited extent while they are being compressed. The friction due to thespreading brightens the surfaces of the wires'in the cable and producesa better possibility for electrical contact. The roughened surface IBbites into the cable to improve both electrical and mechanicalconnection between the clamp andthe cable. All of the parts arepreferably made of conductive material.

Because of the engagement of the stem I 9 within the recess 20 it isimpossible for the plate to be pulled out of the recess I2 by stresseson the cable. In spite of this, the connection between the screw and theplate permits a tilting of the plate in any direction to compensate forirregularities in the thickness or position of the cable end.

- As the clamp screw has a passage 20- through it the stem of the clampplate is accessible so as to permit a tool to be inserted to loosen theplate in case its gets wedged or stuck. While I have illustrated anddescribed one preferred `form of electrical connecter, it'is obviousthat the principles involved could be enibodied in other structureswithout departing from the spirit of this invention.

With this in mind, I claim:

1. A wire terminal having a cast metal body with a socket for receivingthe end of a conductor, a clamping plate having a projecting stem andinsertable into said socket from o'ne end of the socket, said bodyhaving a screw-threaded passage intersecting said socket, the diameterof the passage being approximately equal to the width of said socket anda clamp screw adjustable in said passage, said screw having a passagethrough it enough larger in diameter than saidstem to permitA the clampplate and its stem to tilt when the screw is tightened against the plate,around the stem, said stem and plate being accessible through thepassage in the screw, the stem of the plate extending part way into thepassage in the screw and leaving room above the stem for the receptionof a Wrench, said screw engaging the stem and holding the plate and its-stem from accidental removal when the conductor is removed and thescrew is tightened.

conductor, anda screw threaded passage com-y municating with one side ofsaid recess, an elongated clamping plate in said recess, a stempositioned centrally on the side of said plate opposite that on which aconductor is adapted to be clamped, a screw having a screw threaded seatin the passage of said body and provided with a passage through saidscrew into which said stem loosely extends, a part at least of saidrecess being polygonal in cross section to accommodate an actuatingwrench which wrenchmay engage against the end of the stem in the screw,said screw bearing on said plate around said' stem, the sides of saidrecess between which the plate is moved being parallel and of suchextent that when the bottom of the screw is adjacent the top of saidrecess and the recess is empty, the clamping plate and stem may beinserted through an end of said recess and the stem inserted in theadjacent passage of the screw after which a conductor may be inserted inthe body recess and said plate clamped on a conductor by said screw.

3. An electrical connecter including a rigid one-piece cast metal bodyhaving a wire-receiving recess therein and having an integral anchoragelug, a clamping plate freely movable within said recess, a sternintegral with one side of said plate, the overall dimensions of saidplate and stem being such that both plate and stem can be slldablyinserted into said recess, a clamping screwl threadedly engaged in onewall of said body and capable of being screwed to extend into saidrecess to clamp said plate, said screw having an aperture therein ofmaterially larger diameter than said stem and adapted to` surround'saidstem loosely when the screw extends into the recess, whereby the screwholds the stem and plate from sliding out of the recess while permittingsliding and tilting movement of said plate within said recess.

RAYMOND N. ROWE.

